Noteworthy News

Medicaid Behind Bars?

Modest numbers of prison inmates are currently eligible for Medicaid for hospital inpatient care, courtesy of a 1997 directive from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Historically, most able-bodied men have been ineligible for Medicaid, and being incarcerated did not change that. When the Affordable Care Act expands Medicaid eligibility in 2014, however, more prison inmates than ever will become eligible because they will meet Medicaid’s income requirements and will no longer be limited by criteria that bar the able-bodied from eligibility.

Read more about this little-known aspect of health care reform in a report on the Stateline web site.